Thoughts, Ch. 02

Cassie had been understandably anxious about attending Alinda's showing, suspecting that since Olivia was friends with her, that a good chunk of her clientele would likely be gay. As she moved about the studio she spotted two very attractive women in gorgeous sequined dresses linked arm in arm and whispering to one another. After a few moments, their lips met, confirming to her that they were a couple and obviously intimate. As Cassie began to look away, she saw the taller of the two women slip a hand on the cheek of her lover, making her feel a twinge of... she wasn't exactly sure what, honestly. The kiss only lasted a second or two but she was struck by the symmetry and obvious chemistry between themselves. Diverting her gaze, Cassie caught sight of numerous other couples, all of them of the opposite sex, which made her relax more.

Olivia never left her roommate's side for the next few hours, happily indulging in the girl's new fascination with Alinda's work, and carrying on active conversations with her. She smiled when Cassie caught sight of the carved image of a ballerina bowing, as if receiving applause at the end of a magnificent performance.

"Wow, that looks just incredible!" Cassie blurted out, scurrying over to the statuary near the back of the studio, forcing Olivia to increase her pace just to keep up with her.

Cassie stopped in front of the image and gasped, noting that the amount of detail was incredible, from the ballerina's slippers right up to the grooves simulating the hair at the top of her head. She studied the full lips, curved up in a slight smile, and looked down the finely chiseled neckline where it met the ruffles of her tutu. The dancer's build was lean and lithe, but she noted the curve of the muscles in the arms and legs of the image before her. As with the wolf, Cassie reached up with her fingers and ran them over the image, particularly the arm and hands.

"Damn, that is downright realistic. I half expect her to just stand up and step off that pedestal and start dancing right in front of us," she said, a note of awe in her voice.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Alinda said, seemingly out of nowhere, startling Cassie.

Olivia giggled, remembering how often the sculptor had managed to do that in the past. She swore that it must be some sort of sport for her, scaring people that way. Watching her friend's admiration for the ballerina statue she immediately wondered if Alinda might bring up the more explicit collection she had behind closed doors.

Cassie smiled. "Beautiful. Striking. Exquisite. Gorgeous. Take your pick of descriptors," she said in a bright voice, nervously adjusting her dress a bit.

"Indeed."

"How on earth do you make it look so... lifelike... realistic? I have never seen anything like it before."

Alinda smiled. "I just let my hands and tools go where they may, and bring the image out of the stone the way I see it in my mind," she said, pausing for a moment and glancing at Olivia.

'Yep, this is it, where she invites us to see her private collection. Sure as hell saw that one coming a mile off', Oliva thought.

Alinda broke into a smile that showed all of her teeth, which made Cassie smile in return, though uncertain what the intention was. "Okay," the girl replied.

"These pieces are lovely, just as you said, but somewhat PG rated. I have... others that I create that are not... for prime time, let's say. Then again, the ancient Greeks did as well."

Cassie's brow furrowed and she frowned a bit, trying to ascertain exactly what she was leading up to. "Okay," she repeated.

Alinda gave a knowing look to Olivia, who shrugged her shoulders, not wanting to appear to push her roommate into anything she was not ready for. "Well, I can let you see a few pieces, if you like. No pressure. And if it makes you... uncomfortable, then you can just come back out here. What do you think?"

Cassie hadn't failed to notice the expression and body language of her roommate, so she guessed that some of the sculptures were of nude women, which wasn't a threat to her, but also not something she would ever actively seek out. Doubts began to ping-pong around in her mind, and as she was about to politely decline, she glanced up at the gorgeous ballerina for a moment. 'Oh for heaven's sake, it's art, not a date or anything. What's the harm?', she mused.

"Okay, why not?" she said after letting out a breath and shivering, causing her dress to dance on its own, which in turn made the silver chains on it rattle a bit.

Without so much as uttering a single word, Alinda turned quickly around, making the skirt of her dress sway and furl like a flag in the wind, moving towards a set of silvery metal double-doors in the back. The two girls followed silently, but Cassie leaned and grabbed her friend's arm, as if secretly asking for her protection. Olivia patted her hand reassuringly, making the light glint off the shiny flecked nail polish on her short fingernails.

The trio passed through the doors and into the blackness of the room beyond, swinging shut with a soft swishing sound that echoed off the walls. After hearing the click of several switches, the room came to life as bright ceiling-mounted lamps bathed the room in abundant light. All three of them blinked as their eyes adjusted to the increased light level, eventually able to see clearly.

Olivia had seen this room and collection in the past, but she didn't recognize many of the pieces huddled around spots in the overly large space. In reality that did not surprise her as it had been quite a while since she had been there with any degree of regularity.

Twirling around on her shiny black heels, Alinda raised her hands up into the air, and with a smile cheerily declared, "Ta da! And here we are, my private collection!"

'She certainly hasn't lost her flair for the dramatic', Olivia said to herself, snickering, knowing that while she would never admit it, Alinda had nearly lost her balance executing on the twirling maneuver. While the artist had clearly retained her advanced dancing skills, doing it in heels was another thing altogether.

"Well, I best go back out and mingle with my guests, make yourselves at home and just turn the lights back off when you're done." Alinda said, simply turning this time to avoid making a fool of herself. Within seconds, she vanished through the silver doors, leaving the two girls alone in the sea of statues.

Cassie cautiously began looking around the room, noting that while a vast majority of the representations were indeed of nude women, some were clothed and even a few male representations were counted among their population. She stood as frozen as the statues around her, save that her eyes were slowly moving around taking it all in.

Olivia held her breath, making her breasts strain against the fabric of her dress and pushing her cleavage upward a bit. She knew that this was probably the single most pivotal moment in her scheme, because if her friend felt threatened, offended, or embarrassed, that the goal of getting her to appreciate and admire the female form would certainly perish. She tried to nonchalantly study the girl's facial expressions, but her face was blank as if completely dispassionate to everything.

Cassie felt her stomach tightening for a moment and then, reminding herself that the nudity all around her was inanimate and made of stone, realizing that the human body was nature's art at its finest. Feeling the tightness ebb away, she caught sight of a mostly clothed woman in a dress, and stepped to look at her more closely.

Olivia silently let out a sigh of immense relief, a feeling which faded quickly as a sense of excitement pushed it out of her mind. She discreetly licked her lips as her friend walked closer to the image that had caught her interest, trying to read her reactions.

Cassie found her curiosity aroused by the piece, enough to feel an invisible tug beckoning closer to get a better look. Her checkered dress was intact around her left shoulder, which was smooth and pretty, causing Cassie to reach out with trembling fingers to touch with her fingers. As with the ballerina earlier, the stone was smooth and cold, reminding her that it was not a real arm but an object that posed her no threat. Flattening her hand against the exposed shoulder, the girl ran her hand down the arm, fingers discerning the representation of a delicate and feminine triceps muscle, tracing the elbow and down to her fingers.

Olivia watched her roommate's eyes as they roamed about the sculpture, down the dress, to the legs that showed from the knee down, to the pretty toes on her feet. They lingered there for several moments before moving up the right leg, up to where the dress had been pulled aside, revealing a bare breast, jutting out elegantly and proudly, with a thick nipple protruding from the curve of her body.

Cassie looked at the medium-sized breast, marveling at how perfectly Alinda had crafted the image, as if it had been modeled after someone real because it looked so natural. She felt a sense of admiration welling up inside her that she made no effort to repress, instead letting it flow through her, as if it was as natural as breathing. Cassie felt the urge to touch it, and reached ahead for a moment, but felt alarm bells ring loudly in her head as if she was doing something wrong.

Olivia felt the tension in her body again, holding her breath less intensely this time, watching the scene unfold like some sort of dramatic scene in a movie. She wanted to speak, but feared that hearing anything in that moment might break the spell her friend seemed to be under. 'It's just a stupid piece of rock, a statue, an inanimate object, just touch it. Just go with it... give in... yes, Cassie, give in to it...'

Cassie felt curiosity start burning in her mind like a smoldering fire, not passion but just wondering what that would feel like. For a moment, she listened to the cautious voice in her mind, fearing what it might mean, but the louder voice told her there was nothing to it, that it wouldn't mean anything, and just to do it. At that moment, the pull felt stronger. 'Just do it... just do it...' she thought, finally surrendering to the urge to touch.

As if acting with a will of its own, Cassie's right hand moved forward, fingers extended, just brushing the hard surface of the chiseled nipple, the sensation of stone quieting any other doubts, and willing her hand to slip around the breast, cupping it, actively feeling it.

Olivia bit her lip as a sexual rush flooded over her, instantly arousing her, making her own nipples tighten and wetness forming rapidly between her legs. The image of her completely straight roommate practically caressing a breast was probably the most erotic thing she had seem up to that moment. The fact that it was a stone breast on a statue did nothing to take away from the thrill of it, the sheer delight that on some level a crack in the girl's impenetrable straightness had developed, to her benefit. That has to be the fucking hottest thing I have ever seen, she thought, trying valiantly not to just moan and slip her hand between her legs. The scene went on for several minutes before Cassie brought her hand back to her side, and released a low sigh.

"Well, yeah, she is really, really gifted. I never even thought something like that was even possible," she said. Turning towards the door, Cassie waved her hand as if to hurry Olivia along. "This was great but I am beat and have an early day tomorrow, let's go. And thank you by the way."

The two friends drove back to their apartment largely in silence and retreated to their respective rooms before falling asleep.